World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLeipzig was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers of the German Navy. During the Spanish Civil War, she patrolled off the coast of Spain as part of the international naval blockade, under the command of Captain Otto Schenk. On 13 Dec 1939, she was torpedoed by British submarine Salmon and was severly damaged, causing her to be decommissioned for extensive repairs. She was recommissioned on 1 Dec 1940 as a training ship. In Jun 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, she bombarded Russian positions on the islands Ösel and Dagö in the Baltic Sea. On 15 Oct 1944, in heavy fog, she was rammed amidships during an accidental collision with heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, causing heavy damage. It was decided that she was not to be completely repaired; instead, she would serve as an effectively stationary training ship and naval barracks vessel at Gotenhafen, Germany (now Gdynia, Poland). In Mar 1945, she shelled advancing Russian troops. In late Mar, she moved to Aabenraa, Denmark. When the war ended, she was surrendered to British forces. She was moved to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, then was taken to the North Sea with a cargo of gas munitions for scuttling on 16 Dec 1946.

Photographs

Leipzig Operational Timeline

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